This is a still image from Sherman Oaks resident Patrick Murray's home video of Good Samaritans pulling a man from a burning classic Ford Model A after it collided with a Hyundai on Sunday, Aug. 15, 2010, at the corner of Burbank Boulevard and Vesper Avenue in Sherman Oaks. Los Angeles police would like to find the Good Samaritans so they can be thanked and honored for their service.

Although police typically find themselves scanning witness videos for bad guys, on Monday they put out an alert for a couple of heroes.

Officers hope to find the good Samaritans who were captured on amateur video as they rescued a 69-year-old man from a burning car after a collision Sunday in Sherman Oaks. The duo was joined by another man armed with a fire extinguisher and a fourth who used a crowbar to try and break the car's windows.

"It could have been much worse if it wasn't for them," said Officer Jose Garcia of the LAPD's Valley Traffic Division.

Police said the classic 1932 Ford was stopped at a red light on Burbank Boulevard at Vesper Avenue when it was rear-ended by a Hyundai traveling 30 to 40 mph. The force of the crash forced the Ford into oncoming traffic where it erupted in flames.

Patrick Murray, who lives in an apartment near the intersection, said he heard a loud boom and felt the building shake.

"You could feel a heatwave" from the burning car, said Murray, who stepped out on his balcony and saw "a wall of fire."

He said he saw the passers-by running toward the burning car and grabbed his video camera.

"If you watch the video, you could see that I was shaking," he said. "These guys are desperately trying to get this person out of this vehicle. Even in the video you can hear one man screaming, 'Get him out of the car!'"

The unidentified man was eventually pulled from the car. He and the occupants of the Hyundai - two women and two children, ages 6 and 9 - were treated at local hospitals for minor injuries.

Murray and Valley Traffic officers say the good Samaritans should be recognized by the department. They also hope to reunite the victim with his rescuers, who left the scene without giving their names.

"Nobody knows who they are," Murray said. "I think they should be commended, because without a doubt they were risking their lives."

Anyone with information about the rescue is asked to call the LAPD's Valley Traffic Division at 818-644-8000.